The 2024 Virginia Tech Football Schedule: TSL Podcast 343

Ad Read Tech sideline is presented by First Bank and Trust Company they offer free checking with industry-leading Mobile Banking who you choose to bank with can make all the difference visit firstbank.com to learn more happy Tech Sideline Podcast Intro Thursday morning hokey Nation we got ourselves a 2024 football schedule football crew is on Deck today to talk all about it it's episode 343 the tech sideline podcast and it starts right now [Music] [Music] we record on Thursday January 25th 2024 from the high-tech Studios at the Virginia Tech corporate Research Center remember to like subscribe and refer the show to a friend and head over to techsideline.com to check out our extensive editorial content as always the first month of subscriptions is free I'm your host Giovanni heer to my right lead analyst and columnist Chris Coleman across the way our senior staff writer Andy bidder behind the scenes producing today the mustache man himself as always Mr Nick Brown Tech sideline is presented by First Bank and Trust Company and guys we got ourselves a 2024 football schedule took us you know couple chunks Instant Reactions of the 2024 Virginia Tech Football Schedule throughout the week to get there and then and then finally the big drop on Wednesday evening exciting stuff we'll start with Chris give me one immediate initial reaction immediate initial reaction is I don't know like I think it's difficult to put together a schedule that everybody likes that is fair to everyone when you have 16 teams in a league and two of your teams are all the way on the west coast um I look at Tech schedule and the names on it and it's manageable but you know that there were a couple stretches on there that I'm not a big fan of Andy what you got initial reaction here yeah I think Chris used the word manageable I look at the schedule and um I think when I'm making predictions for a season I may be a little more bearish on things than Virginia Tech fans who see it and go 12 and0 automatic 12 and0 15 and0 with the playoff included uh and I I look at it I go nine wins is very possible yeah uh manageable non-conference schedule uh no huge landmines in the conference Clemson the Marquee game you Miami on the road as well but but man if this team progresses like you hope it does in the offseason I look at the schedule and I go 9 and three is very possible 9 and three puts you in the mix in the ACC 10 and two you never you you know if you could do a little bit better uh maybe you could have special things during a season so I I look at it and I think it sets up pretty well for them this year yeah we've talked about it this team The 2024 Out of Conference Schedule for Virginia Tech Football continues to uh replenish reload but also keep you know everything that they had in the chamber uh as well so let's go ahead and read through the schedule here uh Nick's going to pop up a graphic for us here and uh you know we start August 31st on the road in Nashville at Vanderbilt I would just like to add I am extra hyped for this I turned 21 on August 31st 2024 will'll be in Nashville so that's a great place to do that Jake Lyman can take you out and show you where everything to do exactly it actually would be better if you turn it on August 30th in Nashville 31st will be the day of the game so you got to well but yeah just hope it's a noer so you've got the the rest of the whole night yes my my dad was texting me yesterday uh they my parents want to come down my uncles are going to come down so it'll be a good time down the Nashville VAR should be forgiving enough to be like your turn come on midnight I'm going to be old enough to drink here let me in here I think I think they can we can't go out and get crazy though the night before a big game we got to we got to save it for post game no you you you can get crazy that I that that's spoken from us still young enough to pull that off of you can play Hurt the next day you got if you're going to be in this business you're going to have to learn how to you know manage that whole thing all right fair fair that and how to douse down the uh the clam trer when in Boston yes well listen one of my early trips to Miami trust me the next day in the Press Buck was not the most pleasant experience after the night before sometimes you just got to power through it I can't believe we're talking about I'm just saying I'm putting that out there I'm looking forward I did start I did start it will you be will you be joining us will we see you in Nashville Andy will we bump into you oh absolutely Nashville's great town I haven't been there in a while UVA played at uh Middle Tennessee for some reason like 2005 or or something like that 2007 I can't remember the exact year and that's basically a trip to Nashville so had a great time in Nashville you know Broadway down there it's a fantastic time so this is a good trip even though I wish they were playing this in the the Titans andum redo right now that was the original game plan they announced what last year that they were going to switch that yeah I think when they signed the contract it was opened possibly being in either Stadium okay and uh you know I've seen Vanderbilt like last year they played without an Endzone seating because they had knocked the whole thing down so we'll see how quickly they can construct that whole thing but I've been to Vanderbilt Stadium once before and it was nothing to write home about so I was kind of disappointed we'll see if when once they redo it how much nicer it'll be but I I do kind of wish that was in the Titan Stadium well I will buy Andy his first beer on August 31st down in Nashville September 7th home game Virginia Tech opens the home slate against Marshall kind of a Revenge game for the hokes thoughts on the Thundering Herd uh briefly uh you know good running game obviously they fire their offensive coaching staff as they should I mean just what they did against Virginia Tech last year I was I was not impressed with when you've got like they didn't have a good passing game at all but they had an elite running back and they were just out there pass happy against the hokes for some reason um so that'll be a different team because the uh I think their quarterback entered the portal to quarterback and rasheid Ali went pro so oh so it would be a totally different looking team but uh I think Virginia Tech should have won that game this past year and I think they would have won it after the offensive change over but yeah in Lane uh I I I don't Virginia Tech would have to screw that up yeah yeah I think they'll be a a significant favorite in that game and uh like you said the Revenge factor is there they were embarrassed last year to lose that game a game they probably should have won I have to imagine they're plenty motivated to win this one next up September 14th another road game ODU if it's up to tech fans I think they let's let this be the last and final time what could go wrong in norfk that hasn't gone wrong already uh this is one where you just you've got to get that monkey off your back like it should be a game they they should win the last two were games they should have won when they went down there too and stuff happened and weird stuff happened in both of those games so this is something they'll have to navigate now it was before I was here so forgive me but what time of the season was that first loss played because I think last year if it's not the season opener or what was it two years back if it's not the season opener you might not have the same H it was late September it was we it was week four it was it supposed to be the fourth week or fourth game but the ECU game got canceled the previous week because of a a hurricane that came through and uh you know Tech was riding high they had beaten Florida State on the road everybody thought that was a great win it turned out Willie tager had no idea what he was doing down there they they hammered William and Mary uh they had this weird off week early in the season and then all their flaws were exposed at ODU in a game that sort of foreshadowed the rest of the season well there you go hoping to beat the monarchs This Time Around September 14th it'll be a return game for Ali Jennings he gets to play at ODU which will be fun uh September 21st back inside Lane Stadium again the Hoke kind of get to go on a little bit of a revenge tour throughout the non-conference uh they'll play ruter inside Lan Lane on the 21st it's going to be one of their most physical opponents of the Year Rutgers won managed to win two games this past year in which they didn't throw for 50 yards one of which was against Virginia Tech they also won another game in the ball game against Miami where they didn't throw for 100 yards so this is a team that is very much used to winning with running and defense you got to be a physical team to be able to do that so this is this is when you're getting into the area of the schedule that concerns me Tech will play one of their most physical opponents of the year and then six days later you're at Miami um that I I don't I don't like that and then your next trip is all the way to the West Coast yeah against Stanford I I don't like that coming off that that that ruter game um I don't like that the Stanford game is after the Miami game too long flights in a row as we and I know you get an extra day because of the Miami games on Friday you get an extra day before the Stanford game travel to Miami is not something that has always been Flawless like the 2017 team they had to F when they flew back after that game they flew had to fly into Johnson City Tennessee and bust back to blackburg so they had to cancel all team activities the next day on Sunday which made the Georgia Tech game a short week the next week uh you're talking about that's Prime her hurricane season in Florida so you don't know what can how that can impact your travel schedule and things like that so for me I don't like that three- game stretch right there at all I I just think uh there's a built-in loss there somewhere just to due to all those factors I just mentioned yeah rers is interesting Kyle manangi back for them uh they brought in the transfer from Minnesota uh a quarterback I think whims had is still there uh but that that'll be a competition there so we'll see if they have a little more offensive punch than they have had this year but like you said that's a tough defensive-minded team uh not a gimme but I think it's a game that Virginia Tech should be favored in uh going into the season I mean I look at this non-conference schedule and I go if there anything less than 4-0 would be a disappointment yeah I I I also agree with Chris here it is The 2024 ACC Football Schedule for the Hokies really tough in a span of eight days I get you get the extra day to go Miami to Stanford uh not easy stuff there after that though you do get the bye um and then on the 17th back inside Lane Stadium back-to-back home games and coming off the bye is when you get your Thursday game that just makes sense Boston College and Georgia Tech BC is going to be on a Thursday night inside lane and then Georgia Tech is at home on a Saturday BC should be a win um Georgia Tech I guess in theory should be um Tech will be favored for sure but you know back after the season I was sitting there I I did a Friday Q&A and I was talking about is there a better or a more productive quarterback running back combo in the AC CC than drones and Tuton so I was looking at all the numbers and technically yeah there is King had a really good year he that dude can run the ball and and they're running back oh his last name is Haynes so they have two Haynes in the back field there he was a thousand yard rusher this past season so they have their own one-two punch that is very very similar to Virgin and Tech in terms of uh in terms of production so that's going to be a game where I would expect a lot of running I don't wouldn't expect that to be a long long game but you know should be a pretty physical game uh both teams come into that game knowing their identity so that is like an underrated game on the schedule I I think it should be one of the more entertaining games of the season with I think both both those teams are pretty well coached too I think what we've seen at Georgia Tech I mean I think we've also saw how bad Jeff Collins was the fact that uh Brent key was able to like hit the ground run and he started winning immediately and like Collins could never win apparently they like switched their special teams uh scheme midseason it was so bad oh yeah colins and they like paid immediate dividends with that if I were to tell you I uh how many touchdowns do you think Haynes King accounted for last season since you're saying that 31 more I'm I'm going to guess 42 37 right in the middle 27 passing touchdowns 10 rushing he also had 16 interceptions so he's one of those uh giveth and taketh away quarterbacks but I mean Jen style yeah George Tech is such a a strange team because they were incredible against really good teams last year and then they would just lay the weirdest eggs didn't they lose to Bowling Green last year in Scott laugher like handily it wasn't like close they lost by quite a few I think double digits in that game so uh that's what that's a game where I don't quite know what to expect from the other team and you know we've seen over the years Georgia Tech has come in here and played very well uh you know those were option teams but uh still coming in and playing very well in blackburg so that that's certainly not a gimme by any means I'm working that one on my calendars like the it's a low profile game relative to some of the others but that's the game that's like has the potential when you look back and say wow that was one of the most entertaining games of the year because you've got two really good quarterbacks and two really good running backs and one of the quarterbacks has a tendency to turn the ball over so that game just sounds like it's going to have a lot of big plays in were you referring to kir drones or no no he fumbles a lot but oh that's true that's true doesn't always lose those fumbles there has been a fumbling issue really glad that that one's uh in lane and you don't have to go play that one in Bobby do down at Atlanta certainly helps your chances a little bit November 2nd the following week uh Tech's going to head on the road up I 81 and play on the road at Syracuse you just had to work Syracuse crucify me in the comments please I I almost wore a Syracuse hat on set no just kidding but uh thoughts on the orange in this one Trap game uh if there's I mean this is just underline it Circle it put stars around it Trap game like I know Syracuse isn't much they have a new coach coming in uh new quarterback that I don't know if he's going to do as well without Ohio State Talent around him no offense Gio uh but man uh bad things happen when they go up to the former Carrier Dome I refuse to call it by its new name it's the Carrier Dome uh when I was doing research for the the article on this I I Noti that five times ranked Virginia Tech teams have gone up there and lost to unranked Syracuse teams so people say oh it's history and these are different teams this is new coaching staff five times regia Tech's gone out there and as you should have won been expected to win as a ranked team against an unranked team and ended up walking away with a loss the only team that broke that streak in the last 30 years had Michael Vic at quarterback so uh you know you can say ah Syracuse new coach uh that you're not going to expect much from the orange this year I'm saying be careful on that one that that plays even more into the idea that this is a trap game because you got Clemson the following week at home everybody's going to be looking forward to that game you know we just talked about Georgia Tech if you win that one you're probably feeling pretty good about yourself you got this trip to Syracuse in the middle of it that people won't be thinking about too much that I think could be a difficult game that pops up there and last time Tech played inside the Dome it was Dino baber's first year also Fuente's first year ranked Tech Team unranked Syracuse team first year had coach Syracuse took it to him that I've got some numbers for you okay that that that 2016 game the previous three games Tech had beaten Boston College East Carolina and UNC by a combined score of 137 to 20 yeah they were crushing two of those three teams went to bowl games and then Tech goes to the Carrier Dome and just like what was that yeah they played horrible they were asleep at there was a 10- win Tech team that played for the ACC title against a bad 4 and8 Syracuse team 2002 the their previous trip to the Carrier Dome again a 10- win Virginia Tech team against a four- win Syracuse team Brian Randall broke the Big East record for passing yards with 503 Ernest Wilford broke the Big East record for receiving yards with 279 what happened Tech L somehow lost that game was that 50 to 42 overtime um against a bad Syracuse team bad uh even when Tech had Vic they could bar they barely won that it was close it a tight game it it had this had this Superman run at the end of the game Dwight finini had four sacks in that game yeah um so yeah you know even bring up 98 the last second touchdown pass the throwback from mcav I put all this in my article today so if you'd like to relive all those wonderful memories you can go read it and again like a lot of this stuff is like you know some of that is before these players were born so like like you sit there and you say this doesn't affect them at all for some reason There Are Places the teams go like when when Tech goes to Hines Field or whatever they're calling it now I'm going to continue to call it hin field they seem to have trouble up there and there's something about that venue in that game and Pit's never been this overwhelming Team every time they've gone up there and yet it has given them trouble all the time uh this is one I'm saying just people are going to laugh at it and be like oh you're crazy they they wall up Syracuse last year I'm like okay take that attitude into it and see how you how it turns out why it's a trap game like I think fans of a certain age understand that it's a trap game most of these I mean all these kids playing in it I mean they were in like Middle School the last time Tech played there and they weren't even alive the previous time Tech played there so it's a major Trap game uh and I'm sure you you know you can emphasize that point all you want to um but you know as will will said a few weeks ago he was like yeah if you want to win nine games this year remember you're playing at Syracuse that's an all automatic loss that means if you want to win nine you've got to win nine of the other 11 I don't think it's an automatic loss I'm just I'm just saying be yeah I'm not saying it's automatic I'm just saying that people listening be like man Gio has brainwashed you guys into thinking this place is just the Thunderdome up there but uh I can't wait for the game it's just not an easy place to play no no no no it's Unique you know it's in a dome you know nobody else in the ACC Dome people don't understand how loud you have a now it used to be cloth now it is a metal roof in a concrete building even if it's half full it still gets loud as heck in there and even though it's a dome it's like an intimate Dome like it's not the one of these just like cavernous places like it is for basketball but not football it's and it's uh well I guess this game is in November so it won't matter as much but it's in the past it was not air conditioned so when it was the Carrier Dome yeah when it was Carrier Dome it was not air conditioned so players would always have like cramping issues and stuff it's like could you get your sponsor is an air conditioning company like could you just you know get some AC in this place come on yeah yeah yeah I've been to some very very toasty games uh in the dome I mean I hate that building I hate it at one point I I haven't tattooed on my arm well that's your problem buing um listen I've never been there but I hate it like at one one day SAR acuse will build a new stadium and like I would like to volunteer to like push the button when they demolish that one I I like going in there it reminds me of the Metrodome in my youth because you you walk around the Concourse is like man this is as a very early 80s vibe to this thing I don't know what it's like now that they've redone it but it it is very very different now and very I will say they theyve modernized it so much so that it's one of the most modern looking spots in the ACC um it's pretty cool looking so I look forward to you guys seeing it I hope everybody's enjoyed the Syracuse pod that we're doing right now yeah everyone's you know I will add this just to just to further make everybody upset you guys are sleeping on just Syracuse is going to have the most Talent they've had probably since they played against Michael Vick um they've added a handful of the the new recruiting staff has been unbelievable um handful of four stars the transfer portal gets that they've gotten it's not just Kyle mcord they got two wide receivers from Georgia a defensive end from Texas no you're drinking the Kool-Aid I'm drinking this team won 10 games a few years ago like yeah that was a talented team yeah yeah you can't win 10 games without Talent uh and I see it time and time again where teams like Syracuse uh they hire a recruiter and then they recruit well and then as it turns out they can't coach because there's like no evidence flops ex we'll see we'll see how this uh so you're you're young and enthusiastic you drink your Kool-Aid but by the time you're our age you you've seen it all and you figured out that yeah probably not going to work it's like a Tim Brewster type or something like that yeah yeah that's a fair fear when you hire a defensive backs coach as a head coach uh no doubt uh well after that November 9th this is probably the Marquee game on the schedule for many Clemson inside Lane Stadium boy it would be fun if that thing ends up being at night regardless um you know even though the Tigers haven't necessarily been what we're so used to seeing them be doesn't mean they won't next year first and foremost and second of all it's always big when a team like that comes into Lane but with the the uncertainty in Florida State and all the turnover on the roster there wouldn't surprise me if Clemson's the pick to win the conference um I don't necessarily know if that's earned based on how the offense played last year but you usually a strong defensive team I think people look at the uh pedigree of somebody like Club Nick at quarterback even though he hasn't played great I think the potential is there uh it wouldn't shock me if they if they were the pick you know there's a lot of rostering roster uh movement that's still going to take place before we uh get to the 4-day ACC kickoff is that what they said was going to be the summer ridiculous uh and make picks at that point but Clems will be in the mix they're certainly going to be out there Chris what do you think about the Tigers I think that's certainly going to be the biggest home game of the pry era so far I wish it wasn't after the Syracuse game again because if Virginia Tech goes up there and drops that game it's going to dampen the atmosphere of the Clemson game so hopefully virgin intch can go in there up there and get their first win in the carrier doome or their second win this Century basically and maybe the name change will help maybe maybe um but uh yeah I think the Clemson game on paper you know you look at it before the season before this schedule is released and you're like that's the date you you you have circled and yeah it is to a certain extent but since the game's in November like it has the potential to be a big game but it also has the potential to not be as important depending on what both teams do before that so if Virginia Tech loses that Syracuse game that trap game then all of a sudden you're like I'm just not as excited about the Clemson game anym because it looked like you know now now we're just playing that let's hopefully we won't the hookes don't get their third ACC loss or something like that ideally that that Clemson game would be for basically for a spot in the ACC title game um that that that's what that's what everyone's hoping but uh on so by by itself in a vacuum it's a big game exactly how big it is is going to depend on the Syracuse game the week before I know they don't play every year because of the old scheduling format but it's sort of remarkable to me that Virginia Tech has not beaten Clemson it's been 17 years 2007 yep and to go all the way back to that so uh that's six straight losses uh some have not been close there was that 2016 ACC Championship game where I thought Tech had them yeah at the end they're driving down the field they're like the 20s something yard line uh down by touchdown if they score you know Justin Fuente said afterwards they were going to go for two against a team that eventually won the National Championship that was such a great game like an underrated great game I feel like people are just like oh Clemson Cruz in that game like that was close that was a game that was uh very much at risk uh down the end there it'd be great to see a competitive game like that because it just has not been competitive between these teams the last couple times they played yeah no doubt well you go and on the 16th you have an open game again then uh you end out the season November 23rd on the road at Duke followed by November 30th home game against Virginia kind of crazy that uh it's going to be the first time in quite some time that you UVA plays inside Lane Stadium after everything that took place first time in my time as a student that those two will play inside Lane Stadium which is pretty cool with fans yes yes I the 2020 game took place but there were 250 people in the crowd because of all the co restrictions it's been six years since Virginia Tech fans have been able to you know enjoy a UVA game at home I remember Katie Adams who used to host our podcast she said her senior class at Virginia Tech and nicks as well never got to see Virginia Tech host UVA which is hard to believe yeah yeah so uh yeah looking forward to that one and uh not one that again like like you don't really look to see to like Circle that game because you know when it's going to be every year but it's also sort of like they're so bad that like I'm just I hadn't even given that game any thought like I don't even know what they've done in the transfer portal or who's who's going to be on theyve added some guys Chris Tyree was was uh they got that quarterback from somewhere I can't remember I would expect them to be better than what they were this year I think this year was sort of a a bottoming out type thing but you look at the end of that schedule Duke and Virginia that's that's how you want to finish the season uh you know I know Duke has been pretty good lately loses coach to to Texas A&M all of their players yeah Manny Diaz coming in and then you know on top of that a bunch of transfers one coming here uh you know anas Peebles uh playing against his former team and they lose Riley Leonard and we saw what they were last year without Riley Leonard versus what they were with him uh completely different team so you know if you can navigate the early part of the schedule the middle part of the schedule once you get the ACC play and can put yourself in position in Striking Distance uh for possibly getting in that ACC title game to finish it up with Duke in Virginia I think is is a pretty good way to finish the schedule because you're giving yourself a chance anytime you grab a road game at Duke I almost feel like it's you know you you definitely don't want to call it a gimme but the fact that that is not a hostile place to play by any means could be especially if Tech's very very good at that point which we are hoping and expecting that is the case you know 65 to 85% tech fans I mean that could be like a a little bit of a home game for the hes there the last tech Duke game I went to was 2018 the last Road Tech Duke game I went to was 2018 and you know though at least half of that crowd was was Virginia Tech and that was when Duke had had a pretty good team and that Duke was ranked in that team that's right they were and they had a first round pick at was coming off the ODU loss that's right uh so they were big underdogs in that game and then they actually you know they bow up and won that game road then then came the four game losing streak after that where the wheels kind of fell off with that program but uh uh yeah that one uh you know 2020 game uh I remember that being just like an empty Stadium because Duke didn't allow anybody in that game you could hear everything they were saying from the sideline up in the Press Box in that game khil Herbert with a a huge effort and and then uh what was the last one 2022 they were not very competitive down there it was s after the first drive that was it but uh yeah you know with Duke on the schedule in the opposite they usually kind of have that with UVA at the end of the year where I know it's a rivalry game but it does feel like a very welcoming Road environment when you go up to UVA when you're Virginia Tech I think Duke can be the same way this year I I want to ask you guys Nick and I were talking about this on the way uh in the car this morning you look at that Clemson game and you have to hope at that point in all likelihood Clemson's like a one loss Team U maybe undefeated at that point we don't really know what the tigers are going to look like but with Georgia so oh they do play they're not going to be undefeated so they're going to be a one loss team at I'm not saying that I'm just saying there's a high chance you know Georgia is pretty good so Georgia's pretty darn good uh but the hokes I mean you look at that point in the schedule you guys are saying is going to be tough I understand that you might fumble one like Miami Stanford especially because you play him after I think they're going to get up for that Ruckers game I think it's a home game home Revenge game but I could totally see them messing it up at Miami I think they'll beat Ruckers um I just think those next two games just because of the nature of them that a short week after probably the second or third most physical team on the schedule right and a long flight to boot that's asking a lot and then the next week you're all the away on the west coast um so yeah I mean you I I'll be happy with a oneon-one record after those two games after the Miami game after the Stanford game so if you can start five- one um I think that's pretty that's very good and then you've got those two winnable games at home after that who was at Boston College in you could start seven and one BC on a Thursday night yeah nothing bad hope it doesn't rain in that game I put that out there and fans are like don't you dare like it's Voldemort or something like that like you can't mention the name of it so uh everybody knows the history of that that was the last time they played on a Thursday night against BC was that Matt Ryan game in the rain which is yeah you know you ask anybody this maybe the worst loss in program history or up there I know a Thursday and a Friday are not the same thing but you played him on a Friday in Brent price first year took care of business handedly one of three wins on the season so you know yeah I don't think uh I like their they quarterback he's a dynamic dude but uh they don't have as much talent on that team now as they that team was a lot Matt Ryan but they had some other good players on that team too I mean PJ rajie yeah he was pretty good yeah I'm sure there was some offensive lineman in thatp and then Tech did get revenge in the ACC Tile game we should mention that people like you never nobody ever mentions that it's like okay well two years in a row the Thursday night law sort of derailed the possibilities of that season I mean yeah I mean obviously backto back ACC Auto games in Florida featuring Boston College it was exactly what the ACC dreamed of and expanded and maybe uh put them in the situation that they were TV contract wise for a while like Florida State wants to complain oh TV contract so bad it's like maybe if you played a little bit better contracts being signed uh things would have been different so so everyone's going to ask the question do we have a possibility of of a college game day uh type of hype when Virginia Could College Gameday Come to Blacksburg This Year? Tech we're looking at one maybe two losses heading into that Clemson game uh and Clemson you know who knows what they do yeah it's certainly possible uh like I said I think you don't have a chance at game day if you lose the previous week I don't on the road that's 100% true right so so that that Syracuse game for me is maybe the most important game of the season because it decides the importance of the Clemson game right which is kind of an odd sentence to say but uh yeah I think Tech they've got a chance to have a good season it's manageable schedule I dislike two parts of it um but again like when you have a 16 Team league and you're going to have to travel to the West Coast there's no way you can make everybody happy with a 16 Team league there's no way schedules can be balanced there's no way you can avoid one you know a bad two or three game stretch I mean there's going to be certain years last year I thought Tech had a very favorable schedule but that was with a 14 team ACC uh I I expect in the future there's going to be years where you really like it and there's going to be other years where you feel like oh God who in the ACC office hates Virginia Tech right uh but it's going to be some years like that but every other team is going to have some years like that too just with the nature of the size of these conferences these days and the coast to coast uh you know Geographic makeup of the leagues there's no way you can avoid it yeah there's not a good time to to fly across country to play game unless unless there's a byee on or an open week on one one or other side of it yeah it's just a tough time uh you say college game day possibility that Clemson game I instantly go and look up the SEC schedule and the Big 10 schedule at that point Alabama LSU is on college game will not be coming to blackb Florida Texas I don't know if Florida will be any good uh in the Big 10 Washington pennate kind of an interesting one speak West CO conference game Washington versus are you sure that's not the Rose Bowl uh no uh I will say it it's rather easy to look up uh you know are there going to be big games that week you just have to look up two conferences basically true other than the ACC because I don't think the big 12's going to be doing it so uh Alabama LSU that might be a tough one depends how good Bama is at that point I think they'll be all right and I love I don't think they're going to be the Sisters of the Poor all of a sudden because Nick sa and left I think uh there's quite a bit of talent still oh they have to get by with like 70% five stars on the roster in 90% or whatever it was before so they'll be okay yeah well I like watching Brian Kelly lose game so hopefully LSU is not that good without Jaden Daniels but we'll see what happens May the other part of it is maybe those one of those schools gets a uh a game day trip before that true and they don't like to make repeat trips to some places uh we'll see we'll see how this the season shakes out yeah those teams are going to play multiple big games or maybe that's the week they choose to go like North Dakota stage or something like that for some random FCS game that they they like to do or because you could look at it the ACC is kind of weak they're still going to do an ACC game or two at some point and they're like hm there's your top two teams in the ACC like even though there might be a bigger game we're going to go to that one because that's the biggest game in the ACC All Season it could be do Clemson and Florida State play uh they play earlier in the season right so it's a lot of factors involved I would say at this point that it's a candidate and but to get there you have to beat Syracuse and everybody else before that it's not just you know beat Syracuse you're four five let's assume the rest of the season goes as planned and you're like seven and one going into going into the Syracuse game or something like that you still you need to win that Syracuse game one other game of note that week uh also involving an ACC team Florida State and Notre Dame uh so that's one that it looks like that is uh shoot is that at Notre Dame too they have Riley Leonard now right is that that's right have a terrible nightmare that's just poaching private ACC schools of their star quarterbacks yes literally yeah yeah yeah that's the food chain that's the college football food that's just how it works well it's it's literally impossible to project uh where college game day is going to go November 9th um but but it was fun to talk about Final Thoughts on the 2024 Football Schedule for Brent Pry and Company anyways guys I got to get to class I'll ask you just final thoughts on this schedule before we turn R loose for the week I'm looking forward to it um I know it seems like I probably did more complaining than I did but but like you write a column every year about the schedule you can find a couple things to nitpick and I found my two things but overall it's a manageable schedule I think Tech has a good chance to start 4-0 um I I think they've got a nice little I'm I call it break but I very two very very winnable games in Lane in the middle of the season and then two games at the end of the Season that they should win um so I think if you start 4 and0 then win the two in the middle that you should win where you'll be favored and then you win the two at the end where you'll be favored that's eight wins right there uh so I I just uh I think it sets up to be a good year for Virginia Tech as long as the key players stay healthy and things like that but yeah looking forward to the season I think it's a good schedule for where this team's at right now where you know coming off a six and six season can he take the next step uh and sort of get in the conversation of being a ACC Contender uh you know I think they should run through the non-conference schedule this is uh a good year to do that you don't have this you know Marquee game like in Ohio State or something like that that's like oh that that could be a pretty tough one um you look at the conference schedule they don't play Florida State they don't play Louisville they don't play NC State those were the three teams that finished uh you know three of the four four teams that finished ranked uh and we at the top of the ACC standings this year I look at this and I go the schedule kind of feels like what Louisville was last year where Louisville didn't have Florida State didn't have Clemson during the regular season uh I don't think played North Carolina as well you miss those top teams you give your chance uh give yourself a chance to sort of be a Darkhorse in this whole thing and I think there's a little bit of Buzz about Virginia tuck nationally even some teams me some some uh National writers being like watch out for this team a little bit so you know I think the schedule plays into that because it's a favorable schedule in that sense awesome well thank you guys we're we're sorry not sorry for all of the Syracuse talk today Tech Sideline Podcast Outro it all starts in Nashville and uh and we'll talk plenty of football uh leading up to that day for Chris Coleman for Andy bidder for Nick Brown I'm Giovanni heer saying so long from blackburg we'll see you on [Music] Monday [Music]